Asparagus goes well with eggs of any kind — poached, boiled, fried and omeletted. Here, finely chopped hard-boiled eggs make a colourful topping for the hot, buttery spears. Mimosa is a plant whose yellow flowers have culinary purposes — the name is also given to garnishes of sieved hard-boiled egg yolk.

Ingredients
Feeds 2. Takes 20 mins plus cooling.

2 free-range eggs
500g medium green asparagus
Salt ½tsp sea salt
½tsp cracked black pepper
1tbsp butter, plus
2tsp for serving

To boil the eggs perfectly, add them to a saucepan of hot water from the tap, and bring to the boil. Simmer for eight minutes, then drain. Run cold water over the eggs to stop them over-cooking, and cool.

Wash the asparagus and bend each spear until it snaps. Discard the woody ends and peel the thick end of the asparagus.

Bring a frying pan of salted water to the boil, add the asparagus and cook for four or five minutes, depending on thickness.

Peel the eggs, and finely chop the egg yolks and whites. The neatest way to to this is with an egg slicer, slicing each egg lengthwise, then crosswise. Lightly toss the chopped egg with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Test the asparagus for readiness, then drain well.

Empty the frying pan, wipe dry and return to the heat with the butter. When it foams, add the asparagus and jiggle them in the pan until coated.

Arrange in a neat kindling pile on a serving platter or on warm dinner plates. Add a little extra butter and scatter with the eggs. Serve warm.

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